While technology has replaced many commonly used devices with simpler, safer, more efficient applications, the current method of hand-wiring each and every junction box with a tangle of excess wire, wire-nuts, and crimp-on connectors has changed little over the past fifty years. The purpose behind the present invention is to provide a pre-wired junction block, for the interconnection of all incoming and outgoing cables within a standard utility box without the use of excess wire, wire-nuts or crimp-on connectors, while also allowing electrical fixtures such as outlets or switches to be incorporated directly into the same junction without the use of wire-nuts or connectors. Since all of the connections and interconnections between the plurality of cable wires and fixture wires are completed by the internal wiring of the junction block itself, the only hand-wiring required is for the cables and jumper wires to be plugged into the appropriate locations on the junction block. Since most electrical problems which currently arise within hand-wired junction boxes are the result of human error, this device not only increases the safety of the electrical connections, but is faster, cheaper, and far more efficient than the current practice of wiring each and every outlet, switch, and junction box by hand.
The current method of wiring a domestic or commercial building entails running insulated three-wire cables of appropriate gauge (such as those sold under the trademark Romex.RTM.) into a standard utility box and leaving lengths of those cables protruding from the front of the box. To complete the connections an electrician must return to each box after the drywall and painting are completed, and identify the function of each of the cables as well as the intended fixtures to be used within the box. A utility knife is then used to cut and strip away the sheathing on the cables back to where they enter the rear of the box, exposing the individual insulated wires. These individual wires must be cut to length and stripped of their respective individual insulation at their tips before being twisted into groups according to their function. The bare tips of each group of wires are brought together and an additional jumper wire are added to each group to service outlets or switches. The groups of wires are then secured together with twist-on wire nuts.
All of the copper "ground" wires from the cables must also be gathered together with an additional jumper wire added if an outlet is to be used, and a special copper "ground connector" must be crimped around them to secure the connection. Since standard cable wires are rigid copper and do not bend very easily, the jumper wires must be kept out of the way while the mass of tangled wires, wire-nuts and connectors, are forcibly crammed into the back of the electrical box in order to make room for the fixture. Since the ground wires are bare copper without any insulation, it is crucial that these wires not be allowed to come into contact with any bare wires which might be protruding from the wirenuts or with the exposed terminals of a fixtures, either of which would cause an electrical short. With all of the wires and connectors crammed into the box the appropriate fixture is then connected to the protruding jumper wires and pushed into the box on top of the mass of wires and wire connectors. Since the terminals of the fixtures remain exposed it is critical that they not be allowed to come into contact with any of the bare ground wires within the box.
While the majority of utility boxes wired in this way function effectively for many years, a percentage can and do develop electrical shorts, which if undetected can lead to wire damage and electrical fires. This is usually due to bare wires protruding from the back of wire-nuts, bare ground wires coming into contact with exposed fixture terminals, or wire-nuts and connectors which came loose while being forcibly crammed into the back of the box. In short, the current system of hand wiring creates the potential for electrical shorts in each and every utility box.
The present invention provides a pre-wired junction block for the interconnection of all incoming and outgoing cables within a standard utility box without the use of excess wire, wire-nuts, or crimp-on connectors, while also allowing electrical fixtures such as outlets or switches to be incorporated directly into the same junction without the use of wire-nuts or connectors. Since all of the connections and interconnections between the plurality of cable wires and fixture wires are completed by the internal wiring of the junction block itself, the only hand-wiring required is for the cable and jumper wires to be plugged into the appropriate locations on the junction block face. Since most electrical problems which currently arise within hand-wired junction boxes are the result of human error, this device not only increases the safety of the electrical connections, but is faster, cheaper, and more efficient than the current practice of wiring each and every outlet, switch, and junction box by hand.